1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of computer aided software engineering. More particularly, the invention relates to managing distributed processes in a process automation system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Process automation systems are used to perform a variety of computerized tasks. By way of example, software developers use process automation systems to build, test and package software applications. Within this context, the functions performed by these systems may include managing source code; building executable files; executing tests on the software builds; collecting and analyzing diagnostic information related to the builds; and generating detailed reports.
Given the size and complexity of many software projects, “distributed” process automation systems have been developed in which multiple independent jobs are executed concurrently on a set of shared resources (e.g., computer systems). FIG. 1 illustrates one such system developed by BuildForge, Inc. (recently acquired by International Business Machines, Inc). In this system, multiple jobs 101-103 are executed concurrently in response to commands from a Web server 100. A central database 110 enables communication between the jobs 101-103 and allocates resources to each of the jobs upon request. For example, when a job requires access to a particular resource, it opens a connection to the database 110 and executes a query to determine if that resource is available. If the resource is not available, the job waits for a period of time and then checks the database 110 again. Once the resource becomes available, it is allocated to the job and the information needed to complete the job (e.g., source files, environmental variables, etc) is retrieved from the database. The database is then updated to reflect the allocation of the resource to the new job.